ICBC hoards fender bender data. Why? Why does the RCMP have to be in attendance?

ICBC refuses to meet the Metro Vancouver Mayors Council when it comes to their request to not require the attendance of  the RCMP on the Second Narrows Bridge when there are fender benders.  Acceptable reasons would be for loss of life, run-away-motor vehicles crossing over multiple lanes and/or leaping over the centre barrier into oncoming traffic.  ICBC claims that they need to document everything so that they will know how, and where, accidents are occurring on the structure.

Which is all well and good but wouldn't it be best if the data collected by ICBC was shared with the traveling public?  Forewarned is Forearmed!   An interactive map is neat but there are a few glitches in the system.

 CTV New

Mayors on the North Shore are asking for changes to the Motor Vehicle Act they say would reduce congestion by allowing minor accidents on the Lions Gate and Second Narrows bridges to be cleared faster.

“It’s a very big problem. One small accident causes chaos for hours,” said North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto. “The bridges are at capacity. Something has to be done.”

Under current regulations, only the RCMP can authorize the removal of damaged or stalled vehicles blocking a provincial highway.

 Mounties who attend the scene of an crash where damages are estimated to be more than $1,000 are required by law to conduct a time-consuming investigation and fill out a lengthy accident form—a process that can stall traffic for hours. ..... snip

ICBC crunches the RCMP fender bender details on the Second Narrows Bridge into two lump sums.

One large red dot pile for the North Shore and a matching red dot pile for South Shore ..... as if either one of the municipalities were responsible for what happens on the BC Ministry of  Highway's turf mid harbour.

What's that old saying, never the twain shall meet

 Updated: 2023-03-17

British Columbians can now access comprehensive new data, quickly and easily, as part of ICBC's commitment to increase transparency, with extensive crash and vehicle population data available on icbc.com.

Here's ICBC's interactive map to check out collision data.

The map works perfectly fine where municipalities are joined a the hip with land (Vancouver to Burnaby; Surrey to Langley), but when it comes to a water body like Burrard Inlet the ICBC data only shows largest number of accidents happening at just ONE location on either side Burrard Inlet's Second Narrows.   The now under construction North Shore cloverleaf at the foot of the CUT is where all the accidents are happening and on the South Shore they are directly over CNR railcars which are entering and exiting Thornton Tunnel.

With a combined total of 963 collisions at two locations it should have been a piece of cake to solve the nightmare line-ups headed over the bridge from West Vancouver and from Burnaby.


In depth searches can be accomplished within adjoining municipalities but when it comes to a mid-span crisis the public is left completely in the dark by the interactive map.

2017 data:

North Vancouver 486

Vancouver 477

North Vancouver

Vancouver

Back in the late sixties there used to be a motor vehicle act law that stated that no passing was permitted when approaching the crest of a hill.  Something about the motorists not being able to see over the hill and the cars suddenly hitting their brakes.

On the Second Narrows Bridge, changing lanes is permitted and not just one lane to the second but into the third lane and at the same time other motorist are doing the same thing. Crisscrossing.

If the data collected by ICBC is so important shouldn't the data be shared with the general public instead of hoarding?